Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Atrazine

Quint-mar Water Authority

Atrazine is a herbicide commonly detected in drinking water that comes from cornfield and other agricultural runoff. It is a hormone disrupter that harms the male and female reproductive systems of people and wildlife. Read More.

Federal laws allow up to 3 parts per billion of atrazine in treated tap water. Water suppliers average atrazine measurements collected over a year, which means that the reported values underestimate intense spikes of elevated exposures during the periods in late spring and early summer when atrazine is applied in large amounts on farm fields.

Human epidemiological studies suggest that federal standards for atrazine are insufficient to protect public health. In 1999 the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment set a public health goal of 0.15 parts per billion for atrazine in drinking water, based on a study finding increased rates of breast cancer in rats exposed to the chemical. California’s legal maximum for atrazine in tap water is 1 ppb.

Click here to read more about atrazine.

 

24

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018N/A00N/A
2019ND100ND
2020ND20ND
2021N/A00N/A
2022ND100ND
2023ND20ND

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 0.1 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 0.1 ppb for atrazine was defined by EWG based on epidemiological studies of human exposure to atrazine in drinking water.. This health guideline protects against harm to the developing fetus, harm to the reproductive system and hormone disruption.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 3 ppb

The legal limit for atrazine, established in 1991, was based on a toxicity study in laboratory animals conducted in the 1980s. This limit does not fully protect against harm to the reproductive system, harm to the developing fetus, and hormone disruption.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2019-02-05AB32809ND
2019-02-05AB32810ND
2019-02-05AB32811ND
2019-02-05AB32808ND
2019-04-17AB34287ND
2019-07-17AB36908-1ND
2019-07-17AB36909ND
2019-07-17AB36910ND
2019-07-17AB36911ND
2019-07-17AB36912ND
2020-07-20AB43481ND
2020-11-05AB46358ND
2022-02-08AB56151ND
2022-02-08AB56155ND
2022-02-08AB56154ND
2022-02-08AB56153ND
2022-02-08AB56152ND
2022-07-20AB60396ND
2022-07-20AB60397ND
2022-07-20AB60398ND
2022-07-20AB60399ND
2022-07-20AB60400ND
2023-02-06AB65254ND
2023-07-17AB69865ND